Norris quickest in opening practice for Spanish GP

BARCELONA: Lando Norris confirmed his return to form on Friday when he topped the times for McLaren ahead of Red Bull´s four-time world champion Max Verstappen in opening free practice at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Five days after his triumph in the Monaco Grand Prix, the 25-year-old Briton clocked a best lap in 1 minute 13.718 seconds to outpace the Dutchman by 0.367secs.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc were third and fourth ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren and impressive rookie Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls.

With the track temperature rising close to 50 degrees Celsius and the air at 33, the session offered few clues as to any change in performance following the introduction of a new rule restricting front wing flexibility.

Piastri leads Norris by three points in the drivers´ title race ahead of the ninth round of the 24-race season with Verstappen third, 22 points adrift, but seeking a fourth consecutive victory on one of favourite tracks.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who was 13th in his Aston Martin, launched an impassioned defence, meanwhile, of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which appears set to be ditched after 33 years of hosting the Spanish Grand Prix.

A new street circuit in Madrid is expected to be confirmed soon as host of the 2026 edition. “I don´t think that we will lose Barcelona, that´s my opinion and my wish as well,” said Alonso who is an ambassador for Barcelona F1. “I think it´s good to have new venues and countries, but we need to keep some traditional circuits where the history of F1 has been written.”